


From ‘The Daily Planet’ Archives

by MaskoftheRay



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types
Genre: Basically this is a mock-up of 'The Daily Planet', Bruce and Clark are best friends, Clark Kent Interviews Bruce Wayne, Computer unfriendly (?), Gen, Honesty, Humor, Interviews, Journalism, Light Angst, Multimedia, Secret Identity, You guys I spent SO MUCH TIME formatting this omg, and sometimes one of them gets interviewed by the other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-03
Updated: 2019-10-03
Packaged: 2020-11-22 12:17:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874077
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MaskoftheRay/pseuds/MaskoftheRay
Summary: Clark Kent, Staff Reporter atThe Daily Planetis tasked with writing a Feature article on Bruce Wayne.





	From ‘The Daily Planet’ Archives

**By** **Clark Kent**, Staff Reporter

FEBRUARY 22, 2020, 10:30 AM EST

Bruce Thomas Wayne is something of an enigma. He is known for his liberal politics and advocacy, yet he has also earned the moniker ‘The Prince of Gotham’ due to public perception of him as a man who is fond of excess: be it alcohol, parties, or women. It is hard to pin down the character of a man who has both donated millions of dollars to charity and also been cited for public indecency and public intoxication. But this difficulty has not yet stopped the public, or the media, from trying.

**Can you tell me about new developments at _Wayne Enterprises_, Mr. Wayne?**

Bruce: “Please, call me Bruce, Mr. Kent. We’ve talked often enough for that I believe.

Anyway, as for W.E., there’s _always _something exciting going on. But maybe I’m biased [laughs]. If I remember correctly, we’ve recently agreed to partner with [The National Aeronautics and Space Administration] to bring enhanced science education and technical training to low-income public schools around Gotham.”

**Yes, I suppose we have been acquainted for… the past decade now, wow. I read about your company’s work with NASA in _The Gotham Times_. What other projects is _Wayne Enterprises_ taking on? **

Bruce: “Oh, you know, we’re always interested in advancing technology and seeing what we can really make it do. We have a few on-going projects right now, and some in development. But today’s not the day to break the news on that. One thing that I _am _very excited about is our research into renewable energy, and our partnership with_ JinkoSolar_. Last month we formalized the project agreement, which I can tell you involves developing the next generation of solar panels and sun-fueled technology. So be on the lookout for that in the next few years.”

**Sounds exciting. Speaking of new developments, you recently turned 40— happy birthday, by the way. On _Twitter_ you just announced that you’ve never been happier with your life. What inspired that change?**

Bruce: [laughs] “Thank you. Yeah, turning 40… I wasn’t exactly _ready_ for it, you know; I think Gotham is still reeling from when I turned thirty.” He is referring, of course, to what many Gothamites call the ‘_Sky Lounge_ Incident.’ For his thirtieth, Bruce rented out the entire _Sky Lounge _for his birthday celebration. Due to reports of overcrowding— allegedly there were 500 more people present than the building was legally allowed to contain— the police were called.

After a moment, Bruce loses his reminiscent look, and stares thoughtfully at his clasped hands. He sighs. “There’s also the fact that neither of my parents lived to see 40. My mom [Martha Wayne] was 36 and my dad [Thomas Wayne] was almost 39 when they were murdered... Honestly, if I had to name _one _thing [that inspired the change], it’d be that I don’t give a fuck anymore— excusez mon français. I know that it may seem like that’s been my policy for a while, but it hasn’t. Even if I didn’t always act like it, all the shit that people said _got to me_. I mean, we’ve both seen the tabloids. Some of that _is _on me of course, but some of it’s not. I was young. Young and not particularly smart. People exploited that; everyone likes a tragic story. I’m not saying that’s what I am, because there are certainly people who’ve had far worse experiences than I, but— all I’ll say is that I generated some paper sales when maybe I shouldn’t have. But hey. I figure now, if people still want to read about me, or judge me: let them.”

**Is that why you’re dressed so casually today?**

Bruce: “Yes. Don’t tell my P.R. team, though. They’d be _horrified_. But I didn’t mean to be late— that’s something I’m trying to work on. My excuse is how terrible the traffic in Gotham is. That’s why I think refurbishing the subway system is such an important issue in the upcoming local election.

But, yes, that’s it— that and well, these interviews are kind of perennial; there will always be another.”

**So other than your new policy, which I’m not going to quote directly, what else has changed in your life? If I may, it seems like it may have something to do with Tim Drake. **

Bruce: “You’d be right. After… after Jason [Todd's death], I… did not exactly make the best life choices for a while. But his death was really hard on me, given my history. So, really, Tim came into my life at a perfect time— he needed somebody to watch out for him, and I needed someone to watch out for. He’s a sweet, very smart kid. Jason would’ve loved him. He and Dick get along well too. Which I’m grateful of.”

**There have been rumors that Tim is the heir apparent to the company. Do you care to comment on that?**

Bruce: “Okay. Let me just say right now that I’m offended. I’m barely 40 and you people are already trying to push me out the door.

I’ve always tried to be clear with my sons that I don’t care what they do, as long as it’s safe and it makes them happy. If Tim wants to take over the company one day, sure. I’d be happy for him to. If Dick wants to, I would also be happy. But that’s not a decision I’ve made, and it’s not something that is going to be made for a long time yet, hopefully."

**On the subject of your children, I read recently somewhere that Dick [Grayson] just graduated from the _Bludhaven Police Academy_. Is that right?**

Bruce: “He did. Initially I was very worried about him, when he said that he wanted to be a cop. It’s a dangerous job— I mean, just look at what the [Gotham City Police Department] has to deal with here. Bludhaven, with all due respect to its citizens, is almost as bad as Gotham. But I’m trying to make my peace with it. If it’s what he wants to do, and what he’s good at, then fine. I’m glad that he’s giving back to the community in some way.”

**Is your son’s profession the reason for your recent donation to the GCPD?**

Bruce: “I hadn’t really considered that, but I suppose it is. That and our [police] department is…” Bruce looks briefly frustrated. He sits up, and leans forward. “Look, I’m not going to lie. We have a problem with corruption here, in Gotham. That and police aggression. Has it gotten better? Yes. But police brutality is a nation-wide issue, and it’s present in the streets of Gotham too. I’m not saying police officers on a whole are bad— not at all. But there _are _some bad eggs, so to speak. I’m hoping that my money gets invested in programs that make both our cops and our communities safer.”

**What do you believe would help achieve that?**

Bruce: “Body cameras. Less militarization, and more training; on things like mental health, and bias. Better healthcare, and incentives for more peaceful conflict resolution, too. If our officers have a better understanding of how and why tensions are escalated, and feel safe enough to handle them calmly, we’d have less shootings.”

**How do you feel about the argument that something like this is impractical, or too expensive?**

Bruce: “Well, I say that’s bullshit. The long-term benefits greatly outweigh the cost; of course, if our tax system wasn’t so unequal this would be less of a problem. And it’s never been about something being too impractical— it’s always been about people simply not wanting to do it. Even I can’t _make _country-wide changes occur, the only way for that to happen is legislation. People need to vote for candidates that want to create change. And then it can happen.”

**Is there anything else you’d like to say before we wrap up?**

Bruce: “Life has no do-overs; pleasing other people isn’t going to make you happy in the long run— unless, of course, you care about them. That, I guess, and remember to vote. Do what makes you happy, but in moderation. That’s something I still struggle with.”

**Thank you for your time, Bruce. **

Bruce: “Thanks for making this a relatively painless experience.” [Laughs].

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, WOW. I spent so. damn. long. formatting this, you have NO IDEA. Like, has anyone else basically learned to code HTML (and very limited CSS) from posting fan fiction? I have. 
> 
> If anyone knows if it is possible/how to changes fonts on AO3, lmk. Thanks.
> 
> Hope you liked this!


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